Students Today, Business Owners Tomorrow

After a brief sabbatical over the summer, the Business Internship Program has resumed. The women enthusiastically returned to their training and have continued to demonstrate determination and aptitude in their studies of the fundamentals of business. As they encounter the actual highs and lows of running a secondhand children’s clothing boutique, the interns are applying the principles they’ve learned in the classroom to a real life setting.

The ultimate goal of Sahara Partners’ Business Internship Program is for the interns to be able to start their own businesses upon graduation. Currently, the women are brainstorming about what type of business they would each like to open. One woman is considering opening a grocery store; another is planning on selling melhafas, the traditional clothing wore by local women. Other business proposals include: a pajama store, a children’s clothing store, and a boutique selling women’s intimates (perfumes and undergarments).

As they envision their own future ventures, they are learning the following vital fundamentals of entrepreneurship: evaluating the viability of a particular a business idea, understanding product pricing, determining proper profit distribution, researching their competition, and applying the principles of supply and demand. Additionally, the women have been learning to consider how the even more important life principles of moral decision making and business ethnics apply to entrepreneurship.

The interns shared with us their own experiences in the Business Internship Program:

“I have learned teamwork from this project. We as a team understand one another.”
“Because of my experience, I have the self-confidence to start my own project.”

“Through the internship, I have learned how to work with people and how to understand and meet the needs of those who come to the store.”
“[Now] I understand how to plan out a project before I start to know if it will succeed or fail.”

The director of the Business Internship Program, also offered her perspective on the interns’ progress:

"I am so proud of the women in the training program. They have grown in their confidence and in understanding of business principles. I feel like they are also growing as people. Owning a business is a challenge it means taking risks, experiencing loss, and knowing how to interact with customers. I have seen them become more aware of what it takes to be successful both in terms of profit and in terms of personal satisfaction. Attempting to start a business in a refugee camp is feat, and these women are up for it!"

In the future, Sahara Partners hopes to launch business internship programs in other camps. It is our desire to see women from all five districts of the refugee resettlement camps empowered to be able to start and successfully operate thriving business enterprises.